Demonstration against Atos outside the assessment centre in West Ealing. February 19, 2014.

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Unions protested against IT company Atos’s methods of assessing whether benefits claimants are fit to work, as part of a national campaign.

Disabled members and representatives of West London Unite Community Branch, Ealing Trades Union Congress, Public and Commercial Services Union, other young people and carers demonstrated outside the Ealing Assessment Centre in Broadway House, Uxbridge Road.

Atos has now confirmed it is seeking to end its £500 million contract - with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) - early. Allegedly this is because of staff being attacked on social media sites like Twitter.

Unite Community Branch Acting Secretary Raj Gill, 60, of Hanger Lane in Northolt , was among the protesters who believe the capability assessment tests designed by Atos for people with physical or learning disabilities are unfair.

Mr Gill, who receives the maximum disability benefits and is blind in his left eye and half blind in his right eye because of diabetes which also affects his legs and feet, was among the 45 demonstrators on Wednesday last week (19).

He said: “We want the assessments to be driven by medical reports not a test that Atos has devised.

“People are just asked a number of questions and Atos do not regard medical reports as major evidence but regard their own testing methods as the process.”

An Atos spokeswoman, said: “We absolutely respect people’s right to peaceful protest and we are well aware being assessed for benefit entitlement can be a difficult experience.

“Lobbying against Atos Healthcare will have no impact on welfare policy. It is not the role of Atos Healthcare to make decisions on who can or cannot receive benefits. We carry out assessments following strict guidelines and criteria written by government and work hard to treat people with care and respect.”

She did not say why the firm was trying to drop the contract, adding: “For several months now we have been endeavouring to agree an early exit from the contract, due to expire in August 2015.

“Despite these on-going discussions, we will not walk away from a front-line service.

Atos, whose contract with DWP was first awarded in 1998, carry out work capability assessments then send a report to the DWP to help them make a decision on benefit entitlement.

People are asked to send in any medical information they have available with their questionnaire.